Reinforcing means for brassieres



Feb. 26, 1957 H. MAGIDSON REINFORCING MEANS FOR BRASSIERES Filed Nov. 7, 1955 United States Patent @fte 2,782,417

REINFORCING MEANS FOR. BRASSIERES Herbert Magidson, LosAngeles, Calif.

Application November 7, 1955,'Serial No. 545,254

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-42) This invention relates tov reinforcing means for brassieres, more particularly to the reinforcing means of generally U-shaped constructionwhich. border the brassiere cup of the strapless type of brassiere. Such U-shaped reinforcing wires have been found to be a necessity for the reason that the brassiere encircles'the chest in the plane of the busts and is under tension; yet tension cannot be applied across the bust cups as they would be compressed against the busts. Thus the U- shaped reinforcing wires are intended to transmit the tension load around the bust cup rather than across them.

Heretofore, such U-shaped wires have been formed of round wire and of flat wire. Each type has certain advantages and attendant disadvantages. The round wire type in order to have adequate resistance to tension at its extremities must be too large and have too much stiffness in the brassiere plane, so that it does not readily conform to the curvature of the ribs in a horizontal plane. As a consequence, the central portion of the reinforcing means presses uncomfortably against the ribs below'the busts.

The flat wire, which is flat in the vertical plane, overcomes this disadvantage and more readily conforms to the rib curvature, but the extremities of the wire are too stiff in the circumferential direction of the brassiere so that it cannot accommodate busts of different widths, or yield an optimum amount as the chest expands or contracts. Flat wire also creates a manufacturing problem to the brassiere manufacturer.

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages, yet retains the advantages of both the round and flat type of reinforcing wire, and has as an object to provide a U-shaped reinforcing wire for a brassiere cup wherein the wire has a flat central portion readily conformable to the ribs under the busts, and round end portions which may be circumferentially flexed to accommodate different widths of busts without discomfort.

With the above and other objects in view, as may appear hereinafter, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a reinforcing wire for brassiere cups incorporating the invention, indicating fragmentarily a portion of the brassiere and brassiere cup;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the reinforcing means, indicating by broken lines the contour of the chest and the outline of the breast;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through 4-4 of Fig. 1.

The reinforcing means comprises a wire 1 which is bent in a substantially U-shape. The central portion or cross portion of the U-shaped wire is flattened, as indicated by 2, in the plane defined by the U-shaped wire.

The extremities of the leg portions 3 of the wire memher 1 are round in cross section, as shown in Fig. 3. The extremities of the leg portions 3 receive tip members 4 or are otherwise enlarged to provide blunt ends.

The flattened central portion 2 renders the U-shaped Patented Feb. 26, 1957 The flat central portion 2 while having greater flexibility than the leg portions 3 in one plane is substantially nonflexible in a transverse plane so that the root ends of the legportions joined to the central or cross portion. are

relatively fixed. As a consequence, the:leg portions 3 act as cantilever beams which are yieldable outwardly to a-- limited extent when tension is applied in -a direction to spread the leg members, as indicated by thearrows 5 in Fig. 1.

The reinforcingmember 1 is fitted intoasemicircular pocket 6- which borders a breast cup 7 of a brassiere 8,.

indicated fragmentarily in Fig. 1.

When the .brassiereis applied tothe chest of the wearer, the-extremitiesof the leg, members 3 tend to spread apart due to the hoop tensionof the body-encircling brassiere.

The amount of tension is a variable quantity.

Conventional brassieres have several fastening elements so as to accommodate a given range of body sizes. Also, the brassiere is formed, at least in part, of yieldable or elastic material so as to adapt the brassiere to different chest circumferences.

Generally, it is desirable that the leg portions 3 be capable of limited movement to or from each other in proportion to the tension exerted by the brassiere so as to accommodate busts of different widths. Thus the leg portions are capable of automatically adjusting laterally, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 1, whereas the cross portion 2 remains substantially rigid against the hoop tension exerted by the brassiere. In the transverse plane, however, the cross portion 2 readily conforms to the chest curvature so that it does not press with discomfort against the under side of the bust, and the entire reinforcing member readily follows the contour of the chest as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be observed that the leg portions 3 readily conform to the chest even though they are substantially stiffer than the cross portion 2, for the reason that the leg portions are at a substantial angle to the plane in which the hoop tension is exerted; that is, the leg members are at an approximately 45 angle to this plane at their junctures with the flat central portion 2 and curve upwardly at right angles to this plane. Consequently, the leg portions readily twist into conformity with the chest without exerting a discomforting pressure against the chest.

While the reinforcing member 1 has been referred to as U-shaped, it should be observed that the member need not have a symmetrical U-shape, but may be contoured closely to the periphery of the bust. By reason of the stiffness of the cross member 2 in a transverse plane, any desired departure from a true symmetrical U-shape form may be maintained, as for example in the region designated 9 in Fig. 1.

Also, it will be observed that the flattened portion 2 may be increased or decreased in extent to increase or decrease the stifiness of the leg portions 3, as may be desired for different sizes and styles of brassieres.

While it is preferred to form the reinforcing member 1 of steel wire, it may also be formed of other metals or even of plastic wire, or of plastic-coated metal wire.

While a particular embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it is not intended to limit the same to the exact details of the construction set forth, and it embraces such changes, modifications, and equivalents of the parts and their formation and arrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A brassiere cup reinforcing means, comprising: a generally U-shaped resilient member having a central flattened portion of approximately one-third the length of said member disposed in the plane of said member and adapted to lie flatwise with respect to the chest and to conform readily to the transverse curvature thereof; and legs of generally circular cross-section, said legs curving upwardly from the extremities of said flattened central portion and having lower end portions gradually decreasing in dimension to blend with the extremities of said flattened central portion, said flattened central portion being relatively stitif in the plane of the U-shaped member, whereby said legs act as cantilevers and the lower end portions of said legs remain relatively fixed against deflection with respect to said flattened central portion during either a longitudinal spreading apart or contracting movement of the upper portion of the legs in the plane of said member.

2. A brassiere cup reinforcing means, comprising: a generally U-shaped resilient member having a central portion of approximately one-third the length of said member disposed in the plane of said member, said central portion having a cross-section of greater dimension in the plane of said U-shaped member than in a direction transverse thereto so that it is adapted to substantially conform readily to the transverse curvature of the chest; and legs curving upwardly from the extremities of said central portion, said legs having a cross-section whose maximum dimension is less than the dimension of said central portion in the plane of said U-shaped member, whereby said central portion is relatively stiller in the plane of the U-shaped member than said legs so that said legs act as cantilevers and the end portions of said legs adjacent said central portion remain relatively fixed against deflection with respect to said central portion during either longitudinal spreading apart or contracting movement of the upper portions of the legs in the plane of said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,506,639 Gordon May 9, 1950 2,513,406 Dubner July 4, 1950 2,705,800 Schwartz Apr. 12, 1955 2,746,052 Schwartz May 22, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,084,069 France Sept. 28, 1953 

